Illinois Medicine

'' I 24 | SPRING 2 010 It is amazing the cutting-edge work [the investigators] do and the impact they have. '' N HIS WORK TO DEFINE RISK FACTORS for the progression of chronic kidney and cardiovascular disease, James Lash, MD, draws on the Clinical Research Center extensively. Lash, PASSING THE TEST an associate professor of medicine in the section of nephrology, utilizes an extensive array of metabolic tests in his two long-term studies of patients with chronic kidney disease—one focused on Hispanic patients, the other on a multiethnic population—to define risk factors for the progression of their illness and the progression of related cardiovascular diseases. Part of a seven-site nationwide study funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Lash's studies have enrolled 800 participants, each of whom receives a comprehensive annual physical assessment at the center that takes from four to eight hours. "We rely on the center's nursing staff to administer forms to the patients and do cardiovascular testing, kidney function testing, and urine and blood collection. Kidney testing requires a special lab, and the staff follow a testing protocol in a very rigorous, precise manner," Lash says. "Without the center, it wouldn't be viable to do a project of this magnitude. It's a wonderful facility for supporting this type of research." Zwanziger is the director of the CCTS's Research, Education and Careers in Health Core, which offers a Master of Science degree program in clinical translational science and an online certificate program in clinical research methods. The programs are aimed mainly at clinicians early in their careers, plus established faculty who want to branch out into clinical translational research. More than 20 students—including pharmacists and dentists as well as physicians—are enrolled in the master's degree program, and this past fall another 20 took the first class in the five-course online program. "The program is the perfect way for me to gain the knowl- edge I need to be a good researcher," says Claudia Lora, MD, a clinical instructor in nephrology. "I'm learning to conceptualize a research study into a good question, to identify ways to answer that question, and to make sure the study is going to answer the ques- tions I'm asking." For her master's thesis, Lora analyzed Hispanic patients' health literacy, measured in terms of how well the patients un- derstand health information, and acculturation, measured by language preference, and its correlation with levels of kidney and cardiovascular diseases. She determined there was an association with the language spoken and blood pressure control, and now is seeking grant funding to look at the association of health literacy and kidney disease progression. "I've always wanted to work with underserved populations," she says. "So many questions are left unanswered about kidney disease and minorities. I want to find answers and have a broader impact." The CCTS also holds a series of seminars and professional development workshops, including a seminar held monthly throughout the academic year at which senior investigators from across the UIC campus present their work in clinical translational research. "It has been no problem finding people to present," says Robin Mermelstein, who is responsible for the series. "It's amaz- ing the cutting-edge work they do and the impact they have. I leave these seminars thinking, 'Wow, it's great stuff, and I never knew this person existed before. but people are content to do their work and not call attention to themselves." Over the course of its five-year grant period, the center will track the increase in the amount of extramural funding that UIC researchers receive for translational studies, the number of jour- nal articles they publish and the development of interdisciplinary endeavors. "When we apply for renewal of the NIH grant, we'll be judged by how many investigators we've helped," Mazzone says, "so we want to be as helpful as possible to as many investigators as possible." Reflecting the center's emphasis on turning academic research into treatment, Mazzone also is looking beyond the university when he considers how the center will measure success. "The longer term goal is to have an impact on the day-to-day care of patients in terms of the kinds of therapies and diagnostic techniques that are available." ' We have an enormous amount of talent here, PHOTO: SUSAN REICH

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